Never Say Never
by LuxKen27
Summary: Post-canon. When it comes to playing matchmaker, the Kid is anything but subtle.


**Title:** Never Say Never

 **Author:** LuxKen27

 **Fandom:** _Kids Incorporated_

 **Universe:** Post-canon

 **Genre:** Comedy, Romance

 **Rating:** K+

 **Word Count:** 2,023

 **Summary:** Post-canon. When it comes to playing matchmaker, the Kid is anything but subtle.

 _Author's note:_ Written for the 2017 Summer Mini Challenge prompt coolly.

 **DISCLAIMER:** The _Kids Incorporated_ concept, storyline, and characters are © 1984 – 1993 Thomas Lynch/Gary Biller/MGM Television/20th Century Fox Home Entertainment/Disney Channel. Any resemblance to any person currently living or deceased is unintended (i.e., I am writing about the _characters_ , not the _actors_ who portray them). No money is being made from the creation of this material. No copyright infringement is intended.

.xxxxx.

Chemistry was _so_ not his subject.

Which was pretty much why he was pulling an all-nighter before the final exam. He was six hours in and still going strong, thanks (in part) to the stout coffee served specially for the task from the kiosk in the library lobby. He wasn't the only one trying to get some last-minute cramming in – that kiosk made a killing during finals week.

He tapped his eraser-tipped pencil against the open page of his book. The formulas were starting to blend together, which was not good. This was the chapter he'd struggled through in real time, and it was like he had a brain block against it, or something. He just could not absorb and retain the material.

The only problem was that the professor had assured his class that this chapter would feature prominently on the final.

The Kid sighed. At least he'd done decently on the midterm. Even if he failed the final (which was looking pretty likely at this point), his average should be just enough to squeak through and pass the class.

Finally. Get through this, and he'd be done with the gen ed requirements. What did superstars need to know about chemistry, anyway? It had no bearing on _his_ future career plans, at least!

He looked down at the page again and started to feel dizzy. He grabbed his coffee cup – maybe a refill would help. "Hey," he said, making to stand, "do you want some more coffee?"

"Hmm?" came the distracted response.

He glanced down the length of the library table towards his best friend. Stacy's world history books were spread out around her, but she wasn't looking at them. Instead, her chin was propped in her hand as she stared down at her notebook – or, to be more precise, at a candid snapshot she'd propped up on the edge of the book in front of her notebook.

"Coffee," the Kid repeated. "You know, caffeine? Fuel for the fire? The flame with which you are burning both ends of your candlestick?"

Her eyes, full of question marks, rose to meet his. She was staring at him as if he'd grown another head. "I think you've had enough coffee, Kid," she advised. "If you stop drinking it now, you may be able to blink again one day."

His grin was lopsided as he shrugged, moving all of ten steps and planting himself in a seat at her end of the table. "My eyes are about to cross anyway, so what difference does it make? I need a break – how about you?"

She nodded, a bit wary of his jovial tone. "Thanks, but I'm kinda on a roll," she said casually, tucking the picture into the pages of the book and flipping forward to a later, random chapter. "I'm up to the Renaissance era, and really need to power through to the Enlightenment." She made a big show out of checking her wristwatch. "I only have six hours until my test. You?"

"Same." The Kid was not going to be deterred that easily. He pushed the pages of her book back and retrieved the photo. "Gee, I had no idea the history of Kids Incorporated was going to be on this exam!"

Stacy flushed and made a grab for the snap, which the Kid held playfully just out of her reach. "Very funny," she deadpanned. "I'm just looking forward to the reunion, aren't you?"

He arched a brow. "Excuse me," he pointed out loftily, "but you're talking to the genius who came up with the reunion idea in the first place. Of course I'm looking forward to it!" He rolled his eyes. "It's the only motivation I have to get through these frickin' finals."

Stacy nodded in agreement. "It's been too long…"

The Kid brought the snapshot back down to the table and studied it. Kids Incorporated – the house band at the P*lace – still actively existed, but their generation had long since passed on the reins. One after another, they'd graduated from high school and left their bandmates behind, until there was only one original member left: Stacy. Now she was gone, too, a freshman at the same college the Kid attended.

They were the only two who still saw each other on a regular basis – everyone else had scattered to the far corners of the globe. Renee had gone off to study at Oxford. Gloria was studying music at a conservatory in the Midwest, currently on an exchange year in Switzerland. Riley had gone south in search of sunshine and white sand beaches to accompany his studies. Ryan was in California, also at college. Mickey – the only one of them with a degree – was plying his trade in New York City.

The Kid missed them all, and he knew Stacy did, too. Organizing a meetup around everyone's schedules had been difficult, but achievable. He'd coordinated everything, from picking up people at the airport, to lunch reservations, to the Broadway tickets to cap off the evening. (Okay, so the last part had come courtesy of Mickey, but it had been the Kid's idea for them to go to a show together.)

The photo he held now had to be at least five years old. The lot of them, covered in sequins, arms around each other as they grinned at the camera. He smiled. "Who are you looking forward to seeing the most?" he asked, sliding a glance at Stacy from the corner of his eye.

"Everyone!" she proclaimed, plucking the picture out of his hand. She propped it up against her book again. "I want to see everyone again."

"Uh-huh," he returned, wholly unconvinced by her answer. "Are you sure there isn't _one person_ in particular you're looking forward to seeing again?"

She furrowed her brow. "What are you talking about? I mean, of course I've seen Renee recently, but Mickey and Gloria and Riley and Ryan…" Her voice trailed off. "I'm looking forward to seeing the show with Gloria." She tilted her head speculatively. "I wonder if Mickey's going to try to do something big to impress her."

"Maybe," the Kid replied vaguely. "And…maybe there will be some other impressing going on, too…"

Stacy gave him that two-headed look again. "What? Look, if you're trying to say something, just _say it_. I'm not in the mood for guessing games."

The Kid could feel laughter bubbling up in his throat. "Well, there is a certain dark-haired, dark-eyed person flying in from California. Are you going to do anything to impress him?"

Stacy's cheeks turned bright pink as she struggled to stifle a smile. "What is this, Twenty Questions?" She cut him off with a wave of her hand. "No. To answer your question, no. I'm not planning to do _anything_ to impress _anybody_ at this gathering. We're all friends, so…?" She threw her hands in the air, as if to add, _what's the point?_

The Kid's shoulders fell in an exaggerated shrug. "If you insist." He gave her a knowing look. "This might be your last chance to impress him, though."

"Oh, come off it!" she huffed, folding her arms tightly across her chest. "I've never had a chance with him. And besides, I don't think this is going to come up on my history exam, so why are we even discussing it?"

The Kid's lopsided grin returned. "Never?" he pressed. " _Never?_ 'Never, never say never,'" he crooned, giving her shoulder a playful push, "'You know never's such a long, long time…'"

Stacy mumbled something under her breath as she resolutely turned her attention back to her books.

"What was that?" the Kid teased. "I didn't quite catch it."

Her cheeks were going to turn permanently rosy at this rate. " _I said_ , if it never happened in high school, what makes you think it could ever happen _now_?" she hissed. "We never see each other."

He sensed a subtle shift in her demeanor, an underpinning of hurt riding beneath her curt response. "Um, absence makes the heart grow fonder?" he offered.

There was no good humor in her glare this time.

"Okay, okay, okay," he relented, his own expression sobering. "Look – what makes you think it's never going to happen now?"

"Don't you have a chem test you should be studying for?" she responded coolly.

He hazarded a smile. "Are we not discussing chemistry right now?"

She rolled her eyes and heaved a weary sigh. "Ugh! Look, I've never had a chance with him, okay? I'm not petite, or brunette, or exotic, or smart…" She chewed her lower lip as her voice trailed off. "I'm obviously not his type."

The Kid smothered a grin. "You've really given this some thought, haven't you?"

She shot him a disbelieving look. "I am not hearing this right now!" She shoved the picture into the book and snapped it closed, turning instead to another open book at her right elbow. " 'The Tribunal of the Holy Office of the Inquisition, commonly known as the Spanish Inquisition, was established in 1478 by Catholic monarchs Ferdinand II of Aragon and Isabella I of Castile,'" she read aloud in an indomitable tone. " 'It was intended to maintain Catholic orthodoxy in their kingdoms…'"

"Stacy, stop." The Kid laid his hand on her arm. "You realize you just described your sister, right? Well, except for the 'petite' and 'exotic' bits, but, I mean – we all know how well those two got along!"

She ignored him, continuing to read her history text out loud.

He gave her arm a squeeze, adding, "Of course, they did have some _passionate_ arguments…"

He watched her color rise again, but again she did her best to ignore him, determined not to rise to such obvious bait.

"Okay, look," he sighed, tugging at her elbow to gain her attention again. "Who's organizing this reunion?"

"You," she conceded grudgingly.

"Right," he responded. "I'm the one who's spoken with everybody about it, making arrangements and the like. And let's just say that I've detected a certain note of – _eagerness_ from Ryan about attending this little shindig."

He watched her carefully for a reaction, noticing her resolute expression falter just a bit.

"I'm sure he's looking forward to seeing Gloria again, too," she replied dryly, shrugging off his touch, "considering the fact that he had a huge crush on her back in the day. Or maybe it's Renee, with whom you apparently think he had some super-secret love affair in high school?"

The Kid threw up his hands. "Or maybe he's looking forward to seeing _you_. Newsflash, Stace: guys in love tend to be really obvious about it, and take it from me, he's been mooning over you like a twelve-year-old."

She wrinkled her nose. "I'm not interested in dating a twelve-year-old, thank you very much."

He shot her an amused look. "Oh, no? I seem to recall you finding a twelve-year-old Ryan _very_ cute."

"I was nine!" she shot back hotly.

"All I'm saying is – don't be surprised if _he_ tries to impress _you_ ," the Kid advised. "Believe me, you won't have to give him any encouragement at all."

She pushed a hand through her hair. "Don't tease me," she implored softly. "I am _not_ going to get my hopes up just because you _think_ you've heard something in his voice lately."

The Kid shrugged. "Suit yourself," he replied, standing up and pushing the chair in. He started back towards his end of the table. "Just know that he's asked about you every time I've talked to him," he added, "in the last year."

He heard her sharp intake of breath as he settled back in front of his chemistry books, but made it a point not to immediately look up at her. When he snuck a glance a couple of minutes later, he spied her studying that old candid with such longing that it made his chest ache.

He shook his head as his eyes fell back to the open book in front of him. _Those two are so obviously crazy about each other_ , he mused. _If they don't do something about it during this reunion, then I will!_


End file.
